Everything He Is
by Kadi219
Summary: Raydor/Flynn - Sequel to "Everything She Does". It's a strange situation, but they're settling into parenthood and figuring out that maybe it's not so absurd after all. Pure Fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Everything He Is

by Kadi

Rated: T

Disclaimer: This isn't my sandbox. I can only state that I like to play in it.

**A/N: ****lontanissima**and a few others asked for a sequel to the baby fic "Everything She Does". They were interested in seeing what life would be like after the fact, and I felt a little curious about it myself. I'm afraid this is a bit of fluff, but with fifteen days of hiatus left until Season 3 begins, I needed some fluff! As always, your comments mean a lot. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed.

Happy Shandy Sunday! Enjoy!

* * *

_How hard could it be?_

Those were famous last words if Sharon ever heard them. She debated, quite seriously, whether allowing Rusty to babysit was really the wise choice, especially after he said that. Her dilemma came with the fact that her new son, Ian, was only two weeks old. She had a doctor's appointment, a followup to the baby's birth and her cesarean and was not ready to take the baby out of the house just yet. Sharon learned with Ricky, twenty-some years before, that carting a small child here, there, and everywhere was not always the best idea. Originally Nicole was slated to babysit her new baby half-brother, but had called early that morning full of apologies because one of her stepsons was sick and she didn't want to risk spreading the germ to the baby. Sharon was grateful for that, and she understood, truly. Children got sick. Which was exactly why she was keeping Ian at home as much as possible for the first few critical weeks. He had only left the house for his own one-week checkup.

Andy was back at work now, had been for a few days following his own two-week paternity leave. Asking him to rearrange his day after being off for a full two weeks did not sit well with Sharon, and so she refrained from calling him with the news that they were without a babysitter. Then Rusty volunteered.

Sharon thought it was sweet, and told him she would figure something out. He insisted.

_"Sharon, he eats, he sleeps, and he messes up a diaper. How hard could it be?"_

He was just so earnest about it, and there might have even been something in his tone. Either way, Sharon agreed. Rusty had her number, and Andy's, and to be honest there was no reason to _not_ allow it. Of course, when she thought about just how easy he expected it to be, Sharon couldn't help but get a tiny bit of satisfaction from the lesson that her foster son was about to learn. She adored that boy, she truly did, but the first two weeks of Ian's life had been rather simple. He had both parents at home to care for him. Sharon almost forgot how hard it was to take care of an infant on her own, and it was definitely different now at 53 than it had been in her twenties. Those first couple of days after Andy returned to work taught her that.

On top of it all, they were still crowded into the condo. They would be moving in a couple of weeks, the house was theirs now. There were just some minor repairs and remodeling that Sharon wanted completed before she moved the baby in. It was driving everyone a little batty, she knew. If Andy tripped over even one more basket of laundry or baby accessory she was sure that he was going to lose it. Bless him, but he was holding that temper of his in check. Rusty was being a good sport about it too, evidenced by his offer to babysit.

Sharon took him up on it. That didn't mean she that she wasn't having second thoughts about it. She rethought it all the way to the elevator, and then all through the descent from the eleventh floor. She almost went back upstairs twice before reaching her car. If she didn't have more than just the one errand planned, she might have. After the doctor's appointment she was supposed to stop by the house and meet the contractor to inspect the work being done. She also needed to stop by the market and the dry cleaners, and honestly, having a few hours to herself wasn't so bad, was it?

Possibly, but then she had second thoughts about leaving _Rusty_ home alone, and that was before Ian's birth.

They would be okay, or so she told herself repeatedly. Really, this was a lesson that Rusty needed to learn. He didn't seem to think that caring for Ian was all that difficult, so Sharon was okay with teaching him otherwise. Perhaps he would learn a new appreciation for why his favorite shirt was still in the laundry, or any number of other things that had fallen to the wayside since Ian's arrival.

Yes, it was fine. It was a good lesson. Ian was in good hands with Rusty.

Once Sharon convinced herself of that she settled in for enjoying the day. After her doctor's appointment she met with the contractor. She took her time inspecting the house. The nursery was painted and the floors redone. The fumes were airing out nicely. The kitchen was where the real work was being done. New cabinets and appliances were being installed, along with new flooring. It was coming along nicely. The lighter oak cabinets they'd chosen for the kitchen went well with the open, airy feel to the house and all its windows. Afterward, Sharon sent a text to her husband with the update, along with pictures. Then she asked where he was. She hadn't heard from Rusty yet, aside from his answer to her texts checking up on him and the baby that everything was great. She didn't believe him, not for a minute, but he was replying which was a good sign. Sharon decided she didn't need to rush right home just yet. Instead, with Andy replying that he was at the office, she decided to swing by the deli and then the Murder Room.

In hindsight, spending only a week as the unit commander was probably a good thing. Lieutenant Provenza never fully appreciated before just how much paperwork was generated by this group of officers and the cases that came their way. The reports alone were lengthy, especially those submitted by the always wordy Tao, or the ever eager to please Sykes. His desk was piled high with far too many of them for his liking. For one, he didn't like having them _on_ his desk, and for the other... how was one person meant to do all this, run a unit, and maintain an on-call schedule? It was impossible.

These were not new thoughts for the Lieutenant, but rather things which had occurred to him regularly since the beginning of the Captain's maternity leave some weeks before. She made it look easy, but he supposed that was all part of the bureaucratic hocus-pocus the woman wielded like it was second nature. It was a little easier now that Flynn was back, he had pushed half of it off on his partner, in part to get it done, but also as a bit of punishment for having been gone for two weeks. "It's your wife's mess," he told him, "you can help me with it!"

He was smirking about that when the bag hit his desk. There were enough things on his desk right now, thank you very much! The lieutenant scowled. "I don't recall hanging a sign that said catch-all for-" He trailed off when he looked up and realized who had deposited the bag emblazoned with the logo of the Deli that the team preferred. Provenza's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the Captain, and looking not entirely like herself. Yes, he'd dropped by after little Ian was sent home to check on things, but then he became so busy with filling in for _her_ that there wasn't time to drop by again. He spoke to his partner enough, and now with Flynn back, well... He got regular updates, and pictures. _Always_ with the pictures. Flynn was like an old woman with those pictures. There were always new ones. The kid couldn't burp without someone taking a picture. Although, most of them were kind of cute.

Provenza wasn't expecting to see her. Not for several more weeks. "Captain." He stood up, bones creaking and back protesting from having been bent over his desk for so long. "What are...you shouldn't be here."

Sharon tried not to take his scowling countenance personally. She smiled in response. "I'm not. You haven't seen me." She had her shades pushed into her hair, which fell in soft layers around her shoulders. She wore a loose, flowing wrap-dress of light lilac, and a pair of strappy, wedge sandals. She placed the drink tray beside the deli bag and took a cup out of it. This she carried to the desk positioned near her office and dropped a separate bag onto it before placing the cup beside it. Then she folded gracefully into the chair beside Flynn's desk and crossed her legs. Her purse hit the floor beside her. "In fact, I was never here at all."

"Well, you look amazing Captain," Sykes piped up immediately. She was leaning forward on her desk and smiling brightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, thank you, Detective," Sharon smiled warmly at her.

Behind her, Provenza rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be at home," he waved a hand at her, "Looking horrible, changing diapers, and doing... maternal things. That is why it's called _maternity_ leave."

Sharon tilted her head at him and smiled a little too pleasantly. "Hm. Probably. I had a few errands to run today and Rusty is _babysitting_." She shot a knowing look at her husband.

His brows shot up. Now she had his attention. He was busy inspecting the salad that she'd brought him. "Rusty?"

"Mmhm." She set her chair to twisting slowly back and forth with one foot. "One of the boys is sick, Nicole couldn't make it. I thought I would kill a little more time," she drawled.

"What's the big deal?" Provenza shrugged. "He's a decently responsible kid." He took a sandwich and drink before passing the lot of it to Sanchez.

"Therein lies the lesson," Sharon pointed out. "His exact words were... _How hard could it be_?"

Andy snorted a laugh. "If he was a lighter sleeper, he'd know better."

"That's what I thought," she chirped. "I'm sure it will be fine. I've checked on them a few times. He assures me that everything is perfectly okay, and therefore, I am taking my time."

"You're teaching him a lesson." Sanchez shook his head. "Well, we don't mind." He took a wrapped, still warm sandwich out of the bag with a grin. "We'll let you hang out with us for a while, ma'am."

"Thank you, Detective. At least someone is glad to see me," she shot a pointed look in Provenza's direction. When he simply huffed at her and grumbled quietly, she flashed a wide smile. "Since I'm here, I might even be willing to take some of that off your hands..."

"No." Flynn interrupted before his partner could jump on it. "You'll start and then you won't be able to stop." He flashed a pointed look at his wife before he turned and frowned at his partner, who seemed ready to allow it. "No." When both Sharon and Provenza pouted at him, Andy just shook his head. "The answer is still no."

"I've been away too long," Sharon decided. "You're getting entirely too bossy."

"You're absolutely right," Provenza decided. "You should come back so you can knock him down a peg or two."

"She should take a few more weeks off," Flynn decided. "The fact that the two of you are agreeing on anything makes it clear to me that she's too damned tired to be thinking straight."

Sharon joined the others in their laughter. "He could have a point."

"Beside the one on his head?" Provenza smirked.

"Just when you were beginning to think that you'd missed all this," Buzz shook his head. He stopped beside the captain and showed her his phone. He had no less than five texts from Rusty in the last ten minutes. "I believe your lesson could end up being a resounding success, Captain."

Sharon tilted her head as she read. The corners of her eyes crinkled and she laughed out loud. She took the phone out of his hand and scrolled back. There were several other texts besides those.

_Are you kidding me right now? Gross! What is she feeding this kid._

_Seriously? You take the diaper off and he leaks? I thought Flynn was joking!_

_OMG! My ears are ringing, this kid has lungs!_

_Hey, what do I do for hiccups? Is that normal?_

_What do I use to get puke off the couch?_

_Why won't he sleep? He's fed. He's dry. Seriously?_

_The dryer thing didn't work. I put the carseat on it, and he's still awake. Now what?_

_He's still crying. The neighbors are going to think I'm killing this kid._

_Seriously. If someone calls the cops to Sharon's apartment, I'm in for it._

Sharon flashed a gleeful look at Buzz. "Do you mind?"

"I've run out of ideas," he told her. "Please, by all means."

She chortled happily as she began to type her response back. "_Lieutenant Flynn says to give him an ounce of water and try burping him again_."

The response was almost immediate and made her laugh. "_DUDE! You told Flynn? S__eriously? I'll never hear the end of it_."

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before sending back, "_He promises not to tell. Just try it and let me know if it doesn't work.__" _Sharon was still smirking when she handed the phone back to Buzz. "Thank you."

Andy squinted at her. "You're just going to sit there?" He was surprised by that. He figured she'd be out of there the moment the text was sent.

"I am." She set her chair to swinging back and forth again. "Rusty wanted to take responsibility for Ian, and at the same time, he believed it would be simple. He's reaching out for help, but I'd rather he be asking one of us those things instead of someone who is unfamiliar with Ian and his habits. At the same time, he is _asking_, so I can let that go. At least Buzz is here and willing to reach out to you or I with what he doesn't know. I still think that Ian is in very good hands with Rusty." She paused for a moment and smiled. "I'm going to give it ten minutes and if what I told him to do doesn't help, then I'll go right home. Otherwise, I'm going to sit right here and continue to enjoy my break, and my continued attempts at trying not to worry."

She was worried. Andy shook his head while a grin tugged at his lips. She was putting on a very good show of nonchalance but this was as much for her as it was for Rusty. She needed to be able to feel like she could trust someone other than the two of them with the baby while she wasn't at home. She would be back at work in a few weeks and the baby would be moving between a rotation of sitters and daycare, depending on the time of day and their needs. Sharon was stretching her own endurance, as well as Rusty's. Andy said nothing, but instead pushed his salad toward her and grinned when she took a slice of tomato and popped it into her mouth. "Contractor says it'll be ready in another week?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yes." She breathed a bit of relief at that. The condo was overflowing. "The upstairs is airing out well. The nursery looks great," she replied. "I'll call the moving company and start making those arrangements when I get home." She snagged a piece of fresh broccoli and chewed on it thoughtfully. "We might actually manage to get moved in, unpacked, and settled before I have to come back." At his look, Sharon shrugged. "Odder things have happened."

"Yeah," Provenza snorted. "Like the her being on maternity leave to begin with."

"Exactly," she agreed with a good-natured, crooked smile. "As long as we can get moved, period, I'm willing to take what I can get. I don't think any of the baby's things can take being tripped over much longer. Especially by he with the temper." She hooked a thumb toward her husband and made a face, which had the others laughing. They knew him well.

"Yeah, laugh it up." Flynn scowled at them. "You try maneuvering through an apartment in the middle of the night with a crying baby and said baby's crap spread out all over the place."

Sharon's brows shot up. "Crap?"

His eyes narrowed. "Sharon."

"Andrew."

The team watched in silence while they stared at one another. It was hard to tell who actually won the contest, they both smirked and went back to sharing the Lieutenant's salad. "That's what wedded bliss gets you," Provenza muttered to Sanchez. "It's all nice and dandy until you wake up and realize what's yours is hers, even your food."

Andy slanted a look at his partner. He tilted his head and flashed a smirk at his wife. Then he speared a piece of cucumber and held it out to her on his fork. He watched her brows lift in amusement before she leaned forward and accepted the bite. He winked at her when his partner shuddered and groaned. "It's called sharing, you might look it up."

"It's called ralphing," the old Lieutenant groused, "and we're about to have a demonstration." He shook his head at them.

"Hm." Sharon leaned back in her seat with a hum. "It would be just horrible if you had to redo all of those reports because you'd ruined them," she drawled.

"It would," he shot back. "For Flynn. It's called delegating."

"That's exactly why I'd get Sanchez to help me with it," Andy said.

"Hey, what did I do?" Julio looked up and around. "I'm not in it," he told them. "I'm sitting here doing my own work, sirs."

"Lieutenant Provenza." Russell Taylor strode into the murder room, gaze intent upon the report in his hand. "When I asked you to forward the budget that Captain Raydor completed prior to leaving us, I'm not entirely cert—" He stopped abruptly and backed up. The Assistant Chief's gaze swept to the figure sitting at Flynn's desk. His brows shot up in surprise. "Captain! What are you doing here?"

He seemed almost happy. That sent warning bells off in her head. Sharon smoothed her dress out over her knees. "Just stopping by, Chief. I had a few errands to run downtown, so I thought I'd swing by and drop off lunch for the team. I won't be staying very much longer." In fact, she checked her watch. She was expecting that Buzz would hear from Rusty, one way or another, very soon. She glanced at the Tech, who checked his phone and shook his head at her.

"Oh." He looked around, craning his head toward Flynn's desk. "You didn't bring the baby?"

"No." Sharon smiled. "He's at home with Rusty. Which is why I'll be making this a quick visit. I have one other stop to make."

Taylor's face fell. "I see." He tapped the file against his leg.

Sharon suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She exchanged a look with her husband, who just shrugged. She hadn't believed Andy when he said that Taylor was hinting that if she just happened to drop in, she might bring the baby with her. He really was like an old woman. "I suppose if I happen to make it back this way in the near future, I might have reason to bring him with me," she said finally.

"That's an infraction that I would be willing to overlook, Captain. I understand at this young age, you aren't willing to leave him with just anyone," Taylor said, trying to cover his eagerness.

"I'll see what I can do." Sharon pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at the way Provenza and the others were rolling their eyes behind his back.

"Well," Taylor said next, "while you're here…" He waved the report in his hand. "Lieutenant Provenza forwarded me the budget you prepared before you left us. This can't be right."

"Of course it is." Provenza scowled at him. "I didn't like her budget, so I fixed it."

"Excuse me." Sharon arched a brow at him. "You _fixed_ it?" She stood up in a single, graceful motion and held out a hand for it. "Let me see that."

Taylor looked almost relieved to be placing it in her hand. "It did seem quite inflated."

"Quite." Sharon read through it quickly. "Lieutenant!" She shot a look at him. "This is not even remotely close to what I left you."

"I know," He stood up and walked over. He snatched it out of her hand. "No offense, Captain, but your budget sucked." He slapped the file folder back into Taylor's hands. "Also, you're on leave. If the Assistant Chief has questions regarding the budget, he can address them to _me_."

"Lieutenant," Sharon's hands fell to her hips. "I understand the budget might have seemed a bit _lean_ to you, however, it is four percent higher than the agreed upon budget that we received last year. Also, while I might currently be on leave, that does not mean that I am not still your ranking officer, I would appreciate it if you could—"

"Captain." Buzz stood up with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Rusty says that didn't work, it just got worse."

Her eyes narrowed at the Lieutenant before she let her attention drift toward Buzz. "Saved by the two-week old," she told him. "Okay, Buzz, thank you. Tell Rusty to put the baby on his shoulder and rub his back. That should help." She reached for her purse. From inside she took the shopping list and passed it to her husband. "If you get a chance, if not, it will wait until tomorrow."

"Yeah, no problem." That meant if they didn't catch a case and he wasn't at the office until all hours of the night or early morning. "I can tell you right now I'm not buying that, or that, or _that._ Sharon, really?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Why not? I do your shopping."

"Fine. Whatever." Andy heaved a sigh and tucked the list into his pocket. He didn't mind picking up certain personal items, but he was going to look damned odd walking down an aisle that had shelves of necessities for the nursing mother.

"Thank you, Andy." Sharon sketched a wave to the others. "I'll be seeing you all soon."

"It was good to see you, Captain!" Amy called after her. When the others looked at her, she shrugged. "What? It was."

"Whipped." Provenza shook his head at his partner. "That's what you are."

"Shut up," Andy turned his attention back to his work, eating in between reading. He ignored the laughter of the others. His wife just had a baby, if she wanted him to stop by the store, he'd stop by the store. Even if it was at three in the morning. There were reasons the others were still single, he told himself.

When Sharon got home she expected to hear the baby screeching his displeasure. Ian was crying, but it was not the hysterics which Rusty had led them to believe. The apartment was a bit of a mess, but not overly. She could see the tell-tale wet spot on the sofa where Rusty had cleaned the spit-up. Her teenage foster son was pacing a path between the kitchen and the sofa with the baby on his shoulder, doing as she'd had Buzz instruct. The relieved look on his face spoke volumes, however. She felt badly for him, but played it cool. "How did it go?"

"Not too bad," Rusty said, a bit haltingly. "Just two guys hanging out."

"Hm." Of course, she knew otherwise. Sharon walked over and took the baby from him. Ian's cries intensified when he was moved. That was evidence enough of his displeasure and discomfort. He was drawing his knees up, the first indication that his cries were caused by a stomach ache. "Oh, I know," she crooned. With the baby held in the crook of her arm, she walked over to the diaper bag which was tucked under the coffee table. Sharon tugged it out and sat on the sofa. She reached into one of the side pockets and took out a small bottle of the infant tummy relief drops. Expertly, with one hand, she screwed off the top and filled the very tip with a small dose. Ricky had been a colicky baby, and she had learned the wonders of these things. While Ian wasn't often colicky, they still came in handy, and after her experience with Ricky she wasn't about to go a day without having them on hand - just in case. Sharon crooned and hummed softly while she gave the baby the drops and then replaced the bottle. Afterward, she lifted him on to her shoulder with a burp cloth and easily toed out of her sandals before she started walking the length of the room. "So, it wasn't too bad?" She gave Rusty a knowing look.

The teenager ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Well, not at first?" Finally he shrugged. "It was interesting."

"Mmhm." Sharon rubbed the baby's back while she walked. "Rusty, honey…" She grinned at him. "You have spit-up down the back of your shirt."

"What?" He craned his head around and twisted. "Oh gross! Seriously! Dude! Come on!"

Sharon laughed as he headed down the hall to his room, very quickly. She cupped the back of Ian's little head and kissed his brow. "You make me so very happy," she told him. "But try to go a little easier on your brother, hm?" She laid her cheek against his head and continued to walk and bounce him while his cries began to fade and the medicine did its job.

When Rusty returned after not just changing but _showering_ and changing, the baby's cries had subsided. Sharon still held him, but now she had him cradled in the crook of her arm while she sat at her desk sorting through the mail. Rusty just stared at them. "_How_ did you do that," he asked, amazed.

She chuckled quietly. "Experience." Sharon glanced at him over the top of her glasses. "Rusty, I have done this before. Twice, actually." Her gaze dropped back to the mail that she was sorting, tossing the trash and compiling the rest. "Actually, I'm rather looking forward to his teen years. That should be a breeze now." When Rusty made a face at her, she grinned. "You know, no one just _knows_ how to do this. It's something that you have to learn."

"It looked simple enough," Rusty said. He dropped onto the sofa and reached for the remote. "You and Flynn make it look like, you know, really easy."

"It isn't, Rusty, but thank you for saying that." Sharon stood up and walked over to sit with him on the sofa. She lay the baby in his swing and started it. "It'll get easier as you and Ian get to know each other better. I am, however, proud of you for asking for help today," she gave him a pointed look.

Rusty cringed, then sighed. "Flynn told you that I was texting Buzz?"

"No," she said at length. "I was there."

"Oh." He gave her a sheepish look. "Guess I won't be babysitting again anytime soon?"

"Nice try." Sharon grinned at him. "You're still top of the list, buster. Who else am I going to trust Ian with, if not his brother, hm?"

His cheeks colored. He felt that slightly giddy feeling he got when she claimed him. She knew how he felt about her being compared to his mother. She wasn't his mother, she was so much different than that. Rusty didn't need to equate her with any titles to know that she was important to him. She loved him as though he were her son, and he knew that he loved her too. It was enough. "I guess so. I just feel like it should be easier, you know? I want you to be able to trust me with, you know, _everything_."

"Oh Rusty." Her smile softened. "I do trust you. I'm not comfortable leaving him at all, just yet. It's not an easy thing." She reached out and lay her hand on his arm. "You're going to get the hang of this. Soon enough, you'll be sick of me tasking you with babysitting duty. You'll be begging me to find _anyone _else to do it for you. I promise."

"You're not really selling me on the idea, you know that right?" Rusty shook his head at her. "Okay, so it wasn't a complete failure I guess." He rolled his eyes at her. "Note to self, diaper comes off, it aims, it fires."

A surprised laugh bubbled out of her. "Yes, I'm afraid it does." She drew her legs up onto the couch and settled into the cushions. "If you had other plans for the day, you can get out of here. Ian and I will be just fine." Sharon tilted her head at him and grinned. "I mean, how hard could it be?"

Rusty groaned. "Lesson learned, Sharon."

She gave his arm a squeeze before leaning back. Sharon stood up. "I'm going to go and change. He should nap for a little while."

"Believe it when I see it," Rusty muttered.

It was nearer to eleven before Flynn made it home that night. As it turned out, the team had caught a case. They had a body and a few minor leads, but nothing concrete. It was certainly nothing which would warrant their working through the evening. After going as far as they could, they cut out for the night. It would be morning before they had Morales' report on the autopsy anyway.

He stopped by the store on his way home. He didn't get everything on the list, he was too beat to do more than pick up essentials that he figured they really needed. Sharon might say it could wait another day, but she wouldn't be doing the grocery run anyway if they weren't getting down to the wire. Andy carried the bags through the apartment to the kitchen. When he tripped over the corner of the baby's swing, he swore. "Damnit." Andy nudged it back, nearer to the sofa, with his foot and grumbled all the way to the kitchen. "Two weeks," he groused. "Just two more weeks."

By the time Andy had everything put away, he could almost hear his bed calling him. He made his way, quietly, down the hall. There was a light on under Rusty's door, but he figured the kid was either studying or playing online chess. Either way, he decided not to disturb him. Instead, he eased into the master bedroom and pushed the door closed behind him. The room was only faintly illuminated, it was a mixture of the outside lights combined with the soft glow from the mobile in the bassinet. Andy could just make out the sleeping form of his wife. He slipped into the bathroom to make short work of getting changed before joining her.

His body was aching wearily. It had been a long day, and with Ian still not sleeping through the night… well, it made for even longer days. There was something to be said for having a baby at their age. Actually, there were a lot of things he could say about it, but he wouldn't change it. They had beaten the odds. Ian was a perfectly normal, healthy baby, and Sharon had come through the ordeal with almost flying colors. She still tired easily, but as she pointed out for him, she wasn't going to bounce back in the same way that she had at twenty-five.

Clothed only in his boxers and a t-shirt, Andy walked back to the bed. He stopped beside the bassinet, but found it empty. He shook his head and gazed toward the bed. He squinted in the darkness, and smiled wryly to see his young son laying beside his wife. Andy shook his head and rounded the bed to sink tiredly into it. His eyes were slowly adjusting. He lay with his head propped against his hand and watched the two of them. Ian was laying on his back with his knees drawn up like a little frog, sucking away at the pacifier. Sharon lay on her side, hand draped lightly across his belly.

"So much for not spoiling him," He whispered, and leaned across to brush a light kiss against her mouth.

"Shh." Her lips curved into a small smile. Her eyes fluttered but didn't open. "He'll want to nurse again in an hour," she mumbled sleepily. "He might as well be where I can reach him."

Andy just shook his head again and smiled at the pair of them. He drew a finger across his son's tiny nose before settling down with them. "I won't tell," he teased quietly. Andy reached out and lay a hand over the baby as he got comfortable. His thumb curled around her pinky and he felt rather than saw her smile as he closed his eyes. What would a few hours hurt, Ian would make his way back into the bassinet before the night was over. If it got her a few more hours sleep, Andy wouldn't complain. "Love you," he whispered.

"Hmm." She smiled, but continued to doze. Her pinky rubbed his thumb. "Love you," she replied, just as quietly.

Beneath their joined hands, Ian continued to enjoy his contented slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

Everything He Is - Chapter 2

by Kadi

Rated: T

* * *

Once the leads began rolling in, it turned out that their case was far more involved than they originally believed. A body dump out on Mulholland had turned into three more bodies. One was found in an alley on Sunset, same MO as the Mulholland body. Two others were found in Griffith Park, not far off a hiking trail. The last two bodies were found on Federal ground, and so the team was utilizing their FBI asset. In the three days since the first body was found, Lieutenant Flynn had only been home twice, and the second time was only for half an hour to shower and change clothes. His body ached wearily, he was tired, cranky, and there was an ache burning deep inside him. He hadn't seen his wife for more than a minute, and while he'd spoken to her, it just wasn't the same. Andy hadn't realized just how much he took for granted all the time they spent working alongside one another until he had to be without her.

She understood. Of that he had no doubt; he had managed to fall in love with and marry the one woman who would understand, completely, the demands of this job on his time and emotions. That didn't stop Andy feeling guilty for leaving her at home, alone, with a new baby and a move to coordinate. Not that he felt she couldn't handle it. God only knew that Sharon could do anything once she set her mind to it, the woman was simply amazing. Every day she surprised him with just _how_ amazing she truly was. No, he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of his past, and while he knew, intellectually, that he was hardly doing that... he worried. They were in this together, and so they should be doing it _together_. Sharon shouldn't be hiring movers, arranging for utilities to be transferred, packing, and caring for their young son all on her own. He should be there with her. Yes, she had Rusty. Andy knew that boy was utterly devoted to her, and would do whatever she asked, within reason. He was still a teenage boy and he had his own responsibilities, such as a full college course load. Andy felt terrible about leaving both of them to deal with everything on their own. He felt terrible period.

He missed his family.

During those two weeks he spent at home he'd gotten used to being part of a unit again, more so than during any of the weeks and months leading up to Ian's birth. Now he was without them and he knew that the nagging ache deep in his center had to do with wanting to hold his wife, his son, and trade playful barbs with the teenager that he was beginning to think of as his too.

He did not want to be sitting in an interview room, head pounding, eyes heavy and listening to Agent Howard and Detective Sanchez try and get information out of their best lead, a possible witness.

"This is bullshit." Andy leaned back against the table he was perched on. He was in his customary place at the back of the electronics room. "Let's just throw the little son of a bitch in jail and see if that loosens his tongue up any," he waved in aggravation at the monitor.

Where he sat beside Buzz, Provenza rolled his eyes and swivelled in his chair toward his partner. "And on what do you propose that we charge him? He's a witness, not a suspect," he drawled sarcastically. His partner had been growing steadily more belligerant the last eighteen hours. Louie could sense the fit of temper that was building in him. He was accustomed to that, and couldn't blame him. They were all running on too little sleep and too much coffee.

"Violating his probation," Andy shot back. "I don't care, we can hold him forty-eight hours because he sneezed wrong."

"Violating his probation?" Amy slanted a look at him, unconvinced. He was reaching and they all knew it. "How?"

"By irritating the crap out of me," Andy snapped. "Pissing off a police officer should look fine on the booking sheet. We've held them on less. Just tag his ass and get it over with. Maybe a few hours down in holding will help him remember."

"Pissing off a police officer," Lieutenant Provenza shook his head slowly. "Yes, I would like to see you explain _that one_ to the Captain."

It might not have been the best route to go, even Buzz looked concerned when the Lieutenant tensed. His body bowed up as though he were getting ready to go off. He drew a breath, while his cheeks flushed with temper. His phone chimed as he opened his mouth to reply. Andy's jaw clenched. His dark eyes were almost black with annoyance. They could hear his teeth grinding together as he reached into his pocket for the phone. He scowled at the display to see the text was from Rusty. His thumb swept across the display and he was greeted with a picture. It was of Ian, with his eyes and mouth wide in what might have been considered a smile for a baby that was barely over two weeks old. In the photo, Rusty was leaning down, head beside the baby's with a comedic smile of his own as he snapped the picture. Beneath it, the text read _It's his_ _first selfie!_ _We're rocking the technology_. _Don't tell mom!_

The effect was almost immediate. The tension drained out of him. He snorted a quiet laugh and shook his head. The spontaneity of the moment shook him out of his irritated funk. Then Andy looked closer at the photo. His eyes lit up and he shot to his feet. The floor in the backdrop did not belong to the condo or the new house. It was the dull gray of the tile in the murder room. Andy pushed out of the electronics room and spotted Rusty right off. The kid was standing at Provenza's desk and gave him a slightly guilty look at being caught rearranging things on the desk. Andy smirked, but said nothing. Instead he looked beyond him to the carseat sitting on the surface of his desk.

Rusty finished pushing the stapler to one side of the desk and placing the pen holder on the opposite side. He flashed a sheepish look at the LIeutenant when he stepped away. "We were taking some stuff over to the new house. We figured we'd drop by for a few minutes." Rusty jerked his head to the fresh shirt and tie hanging from Flynn's chair.

On his desk beside the baby's carseat there was also a closed, plastic container with what looked like freshly made pasta and vegetables, as well as a thermos of coffee. Andy hardly paid that any mind. Instead, his eyes focused on his wife. She was standing in her office, flipping through the messages which were piling up on her desk. He was drawn toward her, and stopped only long enough to lift Ian out of his carseat. The slight weight settling against his chest eased some of the ache inside him. Andy pushed open her office door with his hip and arched a brow at her. "Busted."

Sharon looked up and smiled. "I'm not working. I'm just... skimming." She dropped the messages back onto the desk and walked toward him. Ian was gurgling happily in his father's arms. Sharon gently cupped the back of the baby's head, but leaned up on the balls of her feet to kiss his father. She was breaking cardinal rule number one about bringing their marriage into the workplace, but there was only Rusty to see them, and he was busy rolling his eyes at the display. "Hi," she whispered, once she had drawn back.

"Hi." He reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She was in another of the soft, sleeveless dresses that he was coming to love. This one clung to new curves in all the right ways. "Just decided to drop by, huh?"

"Well..." She shrugged. "The office is between the apartment and the house." Her eyes danced with emotion. She had missed him too. "Sounds like you caught a tough one. It didn't seem unrealistic to think that you would appreciate a clean shirt and an actual meal."

The corners of his eyes crinkled when he grinned. "Playing favorites, Captain?"

"Absolutely." She tapped his chest with the back of her hand as she slid past him into the murder room.

"Well, since you're here." Andy held the baby out from his body, hand beneath his head and the other beneath his bottom so that he could get a good look at him. "Me and you are going to go check out the interview. If we're lucky, Uncle Julio is going to do the smack down. He was looking a little irritated."

"Andy." Sharon rolled her eyes at him.

"Kid's gotta learn young, babe." He smirked at the baby. "Right Ian?" When the baby gurgled and waved his fists, Andy just grinned crookedly. "That's my boy. Stick with me bud, mom's all lost in the rule clouds."

His abrupt leaving was rather odd. He'd gone from supremely annoyed to damned near cheerful in about a second. When Andy stepped back into Electronics, every head in the room turned toward him. "Figures." Provenza rolled his eyes. "Pathetic."

"Oh!" Amy stood up and hurried over. "Isn't he adorable."

Ian screwed up his face into a scowl at the new person, especially when she touched him. Andy leaned his hip against the cabinet at the back of the room again and nudged Tao with his elbow. "Hey, looks like his mother when he does that." But to Amy, he just shrugged. "He's not used to being around too many strangers."

"Emphasis on the strange," Provenza muttered to Buzz.

The technician snorted. He glanced at Flynn. "Does the Captain know you've got him watching an interview?"

"Yeah," He shrugged. "She's pretending not to be sneaking a peek at some of the work piling up on her desk." Then he realized what Buzz was really asking and he scowled. "Hey, he's my kid too!"

"Okay, alright." Provenza stood up and reached for the baby. "If you're going to have him in here, at least keep it down." For a moment it looked like his partner might actually refuse to give the baby up, but his eyes narrowed. The older Lieutenant smirked triumphantly when he lifted the infant into his own arms. He settled the boy into the crook of his arm and reclaimed his seat. "Now then," he shook his finger at the baby. "Forget any of the brainwashing those two have already started. You listen to me..."

Andy rolled his eyes toward Tao beside him. The two shared at look and Andy shook his head. "And he calls me an old woman," he muttered, small smile playing at his lips.

For the next ten minutes they had to listen to Provenza explaining the pertinent facts of interrogation techniques to the two and a half week old Ian Flynn. He had the kid mesmerised, they had to admit that much. The baby was wide eyed and gurgling in response to the attention, right before he started to doze off, obviously content with where he was.

"Gentlemen." Taylor stepped into the electronics room, looking for an update. "Number one, where are we with the witness, and number two... why is your Captain in her office working?"

"Shhh!" Everyone in the room waved him toward silence. Provenza swivelled in his chair and pointed at the sleeping baby.

"She only intended to stay a minute," Flynn stated, figuring that was probably close to the truth. "Grandpa over there stole the baby."

"Hey now!" Taylor moved closer and leaned in to get a look. "Check it out. Little man is getting big already."

Flynn looked skyward and tried to suppress the words coming out of his mouth, but couldn't quite manage. "Healthy eater." When Taylor turned and fixed him with a bland look, he shrugged. "He is. We can set an alarm by that kid. He does not miss a meal, come sleep, diaper, or bathtime."

Taylor shook his head. "That update, Lieutenant?" He could not be distracted by the lure of a new baby for long.

"They're wrapping it up," Provenza waved toward the monitor where a uniformed officer was retrieving their witness. "We didn't get much. We're going to book him on probation violations and hold him forty-eight hours."

"Alright." Taylor saw now problem with that. Sometimes these guys would loosen up and start talking if they thought they could get out of a little jail time for it. "What charge?"

"Pissing off Flynn." Provenza smirked.

Andy inclined his head, pursed his lips. He nodded slowly. "I am supremely irritated right now," he deadpanned. "Just look at what the guy is wearing. It clashes horribly. Our witneses has severely insulted my fashion sensibilities."

Taylor rolled his eyes at them. He could throw the rulebook at them, almost literally, but these guys hadn't changed. Instead, they'd figured out new and more interesting ways of getting _around_ the rules... and they'd taken the rulebook with them. "Put him on a forty-eight hour hold for failure to cooperate with an ongoing investigation," he told Provenza. "See if that loosens up his tongue. Send his prints down to SID, have them match them to the crime scenes and evidence we have on file, see if we can place him at the scene. If being in a cell doesn't work, maybe being implicated as a possible serial killer will." He looked down again, the baby was yawning widely and blinking open his eyes. "Bye-bye little man, bye now..." He tickled his belly. When the baby screwed up his face into a scowl and looked like he might start crying, Taylor shook his head. "Looks like you, Flynn."

He watched him leave and rolled his eyes. "Maybe because I feel the same way most of the time." The baby was beginning to fuss, so Andy reached for him. "Like I said, alarm. I bet he's hungry."

"I don't think so." Provenza gave him up easily and waved a hand in front of his face. "Might want to check out the diaper situation, Flynn."

Andy was realizing that, even as he said it. "Yeah, come on. Let's go see mom." He smirked at the others. "She's good at dealing with Taylor's crap."

The guys laughed, and even Amy got a chuckle out of it. With the interview over, they filed out of electronics. When Andy saw that Sharon was actually speaking with Taylor now, he took the diaper bag and headed off to deal with the diaper situation himself. Detective Sanchez and Agent Howard rejoined them, both looking just as weary as the team.

Provenza ran a hand over his hair. "We're going to book him. We can hold him for a couple of days. It'll loosen his tongue, or it won't..." He filled them in on the plan. "In the meantime, we need to-" He trailed off when he reached his desk, realizing at once that something was wrong. His eyes narrowed. "Captain!" He drew her attention, where she stood just outside her office speaking to the Assistant Chief. He only pointed at the abomination that was now his rearranged desk.

Sharon tilted her head at him, although she put her hands up, she smiled. "I can say with absolute honesty that it wasn't me, Lieutenant. I'm afraid it was like that when I returned from checking messages in my office."

The Lieutenant's eyes narrowed. He glanced around the room and spied Rusty, sitting on Buzz's desk and laughing. "You." He shook his finger. "I'll deal with you later."

Rusty tried to effect an innocent look, but failed miserably. "Bring it on, Lieutenant."

Taylor shook his head at their antics. "Captain, we look forward to having you back," he shot a pointed look at the Lieutenant as he made his way out of the Murder Room.

Sharon simply shook her head as he left. Her gaze quickly swept the room. "Where is Lieutenant Flynn?"

Provenza began to chuckle. "Your son had the same reaction to Taylor as the rest of us. He thought he was full of crap."

"Oh." She pressed her lips together in an effort to suppress a smile.

Agent Howard's head tilted as he perched on the edge of an empty desk. "I heard about that. I thought it was just a crazy rumor." He had been travelling between Los Angeles and Washington quite often for the last few months, with Morris filling in for him more often than he wasn't. "I mean, I heard you two got married," he waved a hand in the general direction that Flynn had gone. "I thought the rest was just... you know, talk."

"Hm, no..." She sat on the edge of Andy's desk and smiled. "It has been a rather... interesting year."

"She means productive," Provenza drawled.

Sharon simply shrugged and smiled. "That too."

"Then I suppose," the agent said, a bit uncertainly, "congratulations?" It was a little unusual, having a child at their age. They were older than he was, for crying out loud, and it had even been questionable back when he and Brenda were discussing it.

"Yes." Sharon's smile brightened. She could understand, fully, where his reservations might stem from. "Thank you. We're very happy." Her gaze shifted behind him at the return of her husband with her son. "That was quick."

"I am a master at shoveling crap," he drawled.

The corners of her mouth twitched. "I believe you." Her lips pursed. "He always cooperates better when he's hungry." Sharon took the diaper bag from him and reached into it for the bottle she brought with her. She held it out for him with a smirk.

Andy sighed and rolled his eyes. "He hates these damned things." He placed the nipple against the baby's lips. "Now just remember, we talked about this. You, me, the milk and my suit." Ian was resistant, as he usually was when being prompted to take a bottle instead of mom. The first drops of milk against his tongue changed his mind, and he decided to latch on.

"Good thing I brought you a clean shirt then, huh?" Sharon stood up from the desk and reached for the baby. "Eat while it's still marginally warm." With practiced ease, the baby exchanged hands without ever losing his hold on the bottle.

Sanchez's head perked up from where he was making notes following the interview. "Hey. How come he gets food?"

"He hasn't been home in two days, Detective," Sharon stood in place, slowly rocking the baby from side to side while she fed him. A small smile played at her lips. "Although, if you check the break room, you might find that there is more where that came from. This is the vegetarian version."

Provenza's eyes narrowed at his partner. "She cooks?"

"She does." Andy popped the top off his food and reached for his fork. He lifted a bite to his mouth and almost moaned. Steamed and sautéed vegetables and angel hair pasta in a rosemary sauce. "I'm betting the stuff she put in the break room has chicken in it."

"It does." Sharon was focussed on her son. Her cheeks colored a light shade of pink as they discussed her domestic proclivities. "Someone took a very long nap this morning, and I felt like cooking instead of packing."

"She still gets cravings," Rusty told Buzz. "She wanted garlic bread, so she made pasta. I don't always follow her logic."

"There's bread?" Andy looked into the bag on his desk and grinned. He took out a parcel wrapped in wax paper and opened it. "She bakes too," he chirped.

Sharon rolled her eyes at them as the team began heading toward the break room to see for themselves that their Captain had not only brought them food, but home cooked food. "Really?" She made a face at her husband.

"What?" He grinned crookedly at her. "Oh come on. You're all maternal and soft right now. I'm luring them into a false sense of security. When you come back, you'll knock their heads together. It'll be great."

"I might start with yours," she said drily.

"You're on leave, Sharon. Enjoy it, okay?" He watched her lift their son to her shoulder and rub his back. Andy stood up and glanced around. Seeing that Howard was otherwise occupied on the phone and not paying the least bit of attention to them, he dropped a quick kiss to her lips. "Miss you," he admitted, looking somewhat pathetic.

It got the laugh that he was going for. Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "I know. Me too. Your partner could be right about us."

"Pathetic idiots?" Andy shrugged. "I'll never tell."

"Good." She shook her head at him, but shot him a pointed look over her glasses. "As you were, Lieutenant." Twice now they'd disregarded the rules about workplace fraternization. She could probably, quite easily, blame hormones but that wouldn't save them if they were caught. If she were honest with herself, the continued flux of her hormones probably contributed to just how much she missed him and was the impetus for having stopped by to see him. Even if she had used dinner and a fresh shirt as her excuse.

"Yes ma'am." With a sheepish smile, Andy reached for his meal and leaned against the edge of his desk, watching her while he ate. While she rubbed their son's back and bounced him gently against her shoulder, he reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

Unseen by either of them, while he used the cover of utilizing the landline to phone his contacts at the bureau, Agent Howard took out his cell phone. He zoomed the camera in toward them and quickly snapped a photo. Frozen in time in his phone's memory was now a moment that Brenda would never believe without seeing it for herself, two people who were seemingly unlikely as friends and even unlikelier as a couple, smiling at one another over the top of their child's head. No, she was definitely not going to believe this one. Fritz smirked to himself as he sent her the photo via text. _Not a rumor_, he wrote. _Turns out, it was true! She dropped by during her maternity leave to see the husband! _

"I'm going to slip out while they're distracted," Sharon said. "We still need to swing by the house, and there are some things we need to get at the Market, that neither of us have managed to pick up yet." She was cringing at the thought of taking the baby inside the store, but it couldn't be helped. It was time to suck it up and deal with it.

"Yeah okay," he sighed. He wasn't ready for her to leave yet, but he understood that she couldn't stay. This was really no place for the baby, and the two of them would just be a distraction. It had, however, improved his mood quite a bit. Andy put his bowl down and took Ian out of her arms. He held the baby against his chest for a moment, just enjoying the feel of his son in his arms and the way he cooed now that his belly was full. Andy figured he'd be asleep about three seconds after she got him into the car. He sighed as he lay him in the carseat and buckled in him in. "I'll walk you down," he decided, wanting to prolong the moment as long as he could. Andy lifted the carseat while she retrieved the diaper bag and her purse.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Rusty," she beckoned the boy over. They walked together to the elevator, and her smile softened when Andy didn't stop there, but joined them. They rode the elevator in silence, and as they left it to make their way into the parking garage, he slipped an arm around her. Rusty hurried ahead of them with the keys to get the car unlocked.

Andy placed the carseat in its base once they reached the car and made sure that it was secured. His hand swept gently over the baby's head before he leaned back, out of the car. Sharon stood beside him on the driver's side. He reached past her and placed his hand on the door, intent on opening it, but bent his head and captured her lips first. Here, in the garage, there was no one to see them. He was just a guy kissing his wife. He slipped his other hand up to cradle the side of her head, thumb gentle against her cheek as his lips lingered against hers. When she hummed, his lips curved into a small smile. "I don't know when I'll be home," he mumbled, with some regret.

"I know," she murmured softly. "It's okay." Sharon lay a hand against his chest and leaned into him. She tugged playfully on his bottom lip. "Be careful."

"Always." He had something worth going home to now. Andy's arms curled around her and he pressed her back against the side of her car. His mouth angled over hers, he poured all the pent up emotion which had been driving his frustration into that kiss. His mouth moved across her jaw, to her neck, and he buried his face there. Andy inhaled deeply, as if memorizing the smell of her perfume, mingled with the softer scent of her shampoo.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He shuddered against her and Sharon lay her hand against the back of his neck. With her lips against his ear, she whispered quietly. "I love you." She pressed gentle kisses against his hair. "Get him and come home to me."

Andy lifted his head. He smiled down at her. He swept his hands into her hair tipped her head back, kissing her more gently this time. "Yes ma'am." He spent just another moment, nuzzling at her cheek, and then he stepped back. He knew if he didn't move away from her now, he never would. Andy pulled her door open and held it for her. "Get some rest." She was a force to be reckoned with, but she was still only a couple of weeks post delivery. Andy cast a pointed look at the teenager in the passenger side of the car. "Keep an eye on things kid."

Rusty rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah. I usually do." The way he saw it, he had a couple more years worth experience of keeping an eye on Sharon than Andy did.

"We'll be fine." Sharon settled in the driver's seat and reached for her seatbelt. "Call me," she told him. "I don't care if it's three in the morning." Her look held meaning. If it became too much, she wanted him to reach out to her.

"Aye, aye Captain." He winked at her. Andy pushed her door closed and stepped back. He stood in the parking garage, hands tucked into his pockets as he watched her pull out and drive away. When she turned a corner in the garage, he sighed. Already he ached with missing her. All of them, really. Andy rubbed a hand across his forehead and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly before he turned and made his way back inside. She was right about one thing, the sooner they got this son of a bitch, the sooner he could go home.

Rusty noticed as they drove away from Headquarters that Sharon was quiet, at least, far more quiet than usual. He glanced surreptitiously at her as they moved into traffic. It wasn't much of a leap to figure out the reason. "They always figure it out," he told her.

"Yes," she said simply. She glanced into the rearview mirror, to check the reflection in the baby mirror they'd installed in the backseat. Already Ian was dozing off. A small smile graced her lips. He was another car baby, just as Charlotte had been. Ricky couldn't be bothered with the car. He would cry from the moment he was placed in his carseat until he was taken out of it again. Charlotte was different, she loved to ride. "I know," she said, finishing the thought.

"You just miss being with them," Rusty said knowingly. He smiled at her. "You're missing the action too, aren't you?"

Sharon sighed quietly. "A little. They're shorthanded, Rusty, and it's a difficult case. But yes, to answer your question. I love my job. As much as I enjoy being home with Ian right now, and you," she added with a smile cast in his direction, "I do miss it a little." Sharon glanced at him again and shrugged. "It is what it is. They'll cope without me, and you're right. They will figure it out. They'll catch the person responsible, and with any luck there won't be anymore lives lost. In the meantime, you and I have a date with the market."

He tilted his head at her and grinned. "Can you handle that? It's an entire store full of strangers and strange germs."

She rolled her eyes at his teasing look. "I'll put him in the sling, he'll be fine. You can push the cart and do all the work," Sharon smirked at him. The sling was silk, and made to hold Ian diagonally against her chest. It was a gift from Gavin, which he had picked up during his summer trip to Italy. It wasn't very practical for everyday use, but it was lovely, and it worked. More than that, she loved it.

Rusty rolled his eyes at her. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"You did," she smiled. Sharon reached over and touched his arm. "Rusty, they'll be fine," she said again, knowing that he worried too.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I know." He shrugged. "I kind of miss seeing them all the time though, never thought I'd feel that way. You know, now that I don't _have_ to see them all the time."

"They're family, Rusty," she said gently. "Of course you feel that way. All too soon I'll be back at work, honey, and you'll have more reasons to swing by." When he only nodded, she smiled softly at him. "I miss them too."

He arched a brow at her. "Even Lieutenant Provenza?"

She laughed quietly. "Yes. Even Lieutenant Provenza." She slanted a look at him. "That never leaves this car."

"Your secret is safe with me, Sharon." Rusty grinned widely.

They shared a look and she shook her head. A warm, affectionate smile settled across her face. Sharon glanced into the backseat again, satisfied to find a sleeping Ian. She adored them all, these boys of hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Everything He Is - Chapter 3

by Kadi

Rated: T

* * *

It was barely twilight outside when Sharon woke. Something felt off in the apartment. She rolled onto her back, disoriented and still half asleep while she listened. The mobile had stopped playing, but it still glowed with a soft blue light, illuminating the bassinet at the foot of the bed. Sharon sat up and craned her head, checking on the baby. He slept peacefully. A glance at the bedside clock indicated why it was that she felt so heavy and weary. He had only been down for an hour. It was barely four in the morning. Sharon yawned and stretched, a grimace twisted her face unpleasantly when the incision site, low on her abdomen, gave an uncomfortable twinge. Only a couple of weeks post op, and she was healing, but not yet fully healed. She swept a hand, tiredly, over her face and pushed her hair back. Her head inclined, and she listened. She realized at once what had awakened her. She heard the shower running.

Sharon's heart fluttered. A smile tugged at her lips. She hadn't seen Andy since leaving him at Headquarters. That was a day ago. She had spoken to him, as well as following the case on the news. She knew they were getting close. Sharon rolled off the bed and crossed the room to slip into the attached master bath. She pushed the door closed behind her and turned on the baby monitor that was kept on the vanity.

The shower was encased in a wall of clear glass, fogged over from the heat of the shower. Steam filled the room, warming her through and causing her skin to flush. She found him, head bent, arm braced against the tile and water cascading over him. The tension in his shoulders quickly chased away the giddiness which filled her at realizing he was home. "Andy."

He lifted his head and looked at her. His eyes were dark, filled with pain and regret. He was hoping to wash away the hell that the case had inflicted before sliding into bed beside his wife. He needed a meeting, and he would do that first thing in the morning, but he needed her first. Andy reached out and pushed the door open, an invitation for her to join him. His eyes swept over her. She wore one of his t-shirts, and it barely reached her thighs. Her hair was mussed, and her face scrubbed free of any makeup, but she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. He exhaled as his heart swelled, surprise sweeping through him as it usually did with the realization that this woman could love him, belong to him, be _with_ him. She was his, as he was hers. Andy couldn't imagine what he'd done to deserve this, to deserve _her_, but he could only pray that he kept doing it. "Hey," he said, finally finding his voice. He watched her eyes fill with concern and shook his head. "We got 'im."

Sharon nodded slowly. "What happened." She held onto the open shower door and leaned against the opposite side, weight on one foot. He had looked better. It was a hard one, she knew.

Andy shook his head. He swept a hand over his hair, pushing the wet locks back. He sighed. "Sanchez shot him, but we lost another vic. Girl, fifteen. Son of a bitch got to her before we could get to him. Julio is out until FID clears him, so it's going to be a few days—" He trailed off and shook his head with a half grin. "What am I saying? You wrote the book."

"Hm." A corner of her mouth lifted into a smile. "Indeed I did." Sharon's eyes swept over him and she found him whole, if a bit frayed around the edges. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"It was a bad one," he told her. "That's all. It was always going to end badly. We were just hoping we'd get to him first. Fifteen, Sharon…" He shook his head again and tipped it back beneath the steaming spray.

She drug her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched him. Her heart ached for him, the victims, and their families. Fifteen was damned young. It made her think of Rusty, and how different things could have gone for him. Sharon made a decision and swept the t-shirt over her head. She wriggled out of the rest of her clothes and stepped into the shower with him. While she hated the idea of teasing him, she needed to hold him as much as he needed to be held. She slipped in behind him and rocked up onto the balls of her feet as her arms slipped around his middle. Sharon placed a kiss between his shoulder blades before leaning up and pressing her face into his neck. "I'm here," she said softly. "I'm right here."

His hands came up to cover hers, where they lay against his chest. Andy tipped his head to the side, so that they were pressed together. He stood for just a moment, water flowing over both of them, and enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him. The need for more had him turning. He brought his hands up to her face, fingers gentle as he traced the familiar lines. He pushed her hair back, damp now and beginning to curl, and caressed her cheeks. His thumbs swept gently over her eyelids, down the line of her nose. He followed their path with his lips, soft kisses which touched her temple, the curve of each cheek, and the tip of that nose that he loved so much. The slight upturn of her lips into a small smile beckoned him and he pressed a light kiss there as well.

Her hands were hardly idle. They smoothed over his chest and down his sides. Then they moved back up again, over his arms, fingers skirting his biceps until they came to rest at his shoulders. When he tipped her head back, she leaned in to him. His mouth covered hers and it was slow and unhurried. His hands slid down her body, only just skirting the sides of her breasts, and finally coming to rest against her waist. There was only so much that she could give him right now, and when his face pressed into the curve of her neck, she curled her arms around him and held on tightly.

They stood like that for some time, until the water began to lose its heat. As it turned toward lukewarm, Andy reached back and turned it off. He kept an arm around his wife as they as they moved out of the glass enclosed stall, letting go of her only to draw a towel around her body. He dropped another light kiss to the tip of her nose. "Beautiful."

The sincerity in his gaze made her heart flutter. She was a good fifteen pounds heavier than was usual for her, and then there were the stretch marks and the healing incision. She touched her fingers to his jaw and leaned up to kiss him. "Flattery will get you _almost_ anywhere, Mr. Flynn."

"I can only hope, Mrs. Flynn." He loved watching her eyes light up when she heard that. She got to hear it so seldom. Professionally it was still Raydor, and he could understand that. She had built quite a reputation as Captain Raydor. Anyone hearing Captain Flynn would laugh themselves stupid thinking that _he _had been promoted, and never believe it possible. It also set them apart, separated their life at home from the job that they had to do. It never bothered him, it was necessary.

"Come to bed," she told him, and reached for the t-shirt she discarded earlier. She left him to dress and moved quietly into the bedroom to do the same. She checked on Ian and drew the light receiving blanket back over his legs. He wouldn't sleep swaddled, and like his father, he managed to kick the blanket away while he slept. An arm curled around her from behind and she smiled when Andy's chin rested against her shoulder.

He reached into the bassinet and touched his son's tiny hand. "I was hoping he'd be awake," he whispered against her ear.

"Hm." She glanced at the clock beside the bed. "He will be soon enough. Come on…" Sharon maneuvered him toward the bed. When he lay down, she joined him, head laying against his shoulder as she curled against him. She hummed when his hand moved into her damp hair and began to gently rub her scalp. Falling asleep wasn't such a hard thing for her these days, she was perpetually tired, which was completely normal, but she gently rubbed his chest until she felt him begin to relax beside her. Only then did she really allow the heaviness of sleep to sweep over her.

As she predicted, all too soon a low mewling came from the direction of the bassinet. It started quietly, as it always did, and their son's cries grew in volume and demand until it registered their sleep fogged minds. Andy groaned as he rolled onto his back. His head ached from too little sleep. Beside him, he felt Sharon moving, but lay a hand on her hip. "I'll get him." He rubbed a hand over his face and pulled his tired body out of the bed. When he reached the bassinet, Ian was waving his fists and kicking his feet as he made his displeasure known. "Come here pal." Andy lifted the baby and held him against his chest for a moment, just wanting to hold him after being so absent of late. He felt badly for that, worried he was repeating past mistakes, even if this time it couldn't be avoided. He knew otherwise, honestly, but it didn't stop him worrying. "Yeah, I hear ya," he carried him over to the changing table they had forced into a corner of the room and lay him on it. "We're gonna have to do something about that temper, little man." He made quick work of the diaper before he lifted him again. When he returned to the bed, Sharon was waiting. She held out an arm and covered a yawn with her other hand. "Sweetheart, go back to sleep. I can get a bottle."

"No, it's okay." She wriggled her fingers and reached for the baby again. This time he was settled into her arms. The t-shirt was pushed out of her way and she lay back, pillows stacked against the headboard. It was surprising how much that was habit could come back in a matter of days. She tipped her head back and let her eyes close, only half dozing while the baby nursed. Her hand was patting gently against his bottom, while her thumb gently stroked the back of his head. A warm hand splayed across her stomach and she smiled when she felt a kiss caress her shoulder. Sharon hummed when those same lips brushed her ear. "Go back to sleep," she murmured. "I've got him."

"Nope." He lay on his side, head propped in his hand and watched them. It was getting lighter outside, and the room was illuminated in shades of gray. "I like the view." He leaned over, kissed the top of the small head. The soft, down of dark hair tickled his nose. Andy suspected he would have his mother's coloring, even if it was a bit early to tell. His eyes were still a deep shade of blue, but darker now than they'd been at birth. Time would tell if they'd end up brown or some shade of hazel. After another minute, Andy sat up. He rearranged the pillows behind him and leaned back. "Come here." She was exhausted, he knew. He pulled her over between his legs and settled her so that her back was to his chest. Andy drew a blanket over them and kissed the top of her head. "Sleep," he said. "I've got you both."

She hummed quietly again. It was just too enticing an offer to refuse. She settled her head against the crook of his neck and allowed herself to relax against him. "Love you," she slurred, already sliding back into slumber.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Me too, babe." A hand splayed across her stomach again, gently stroking. His other arm, he slipped beneath hers, helping to support Ian. She was a beautiful woman, but as a mother she was extraordinary. It was worth a few minutes of lost sleep, to be able to hold her like this, to witness this miracle and to be thankful for it. They'd gotten lucky, and he knew that they were oh so blessed. He could have lost either or both of them at any point during the pregnancy or delivery and for one devastatingly frightening moment, he almost had. That fear was still too fresh in his mind, and his heart still seized with reliving it. Andy pushed those thoughts aside, no good could come of dwelling in what _could_ have happened, rather than what did. The evidence was in his arms, even if it did feel like a dream at times. A strange, absurd, ludicrous dream that bordered on being a farce, and yet it was also an incredibly beautiful dream.

Andy tipped his head back against the headboard and allowed his eyes to close. He dozed comfortably with his wife and his son in his arms. When his eyes opened again, the early morning sunlight was casting the room in hues of gold and scarlet. His neck ached, and his back was throbbing. He didn't care. Andy looked down and found a pair of big, deep blue eyes looking back. Ian was gurgling happily, eyes wide and staring at nothing, unable yet to focus on any one thing. He slanted a look sideways and he found his wife still asleep on his shoulder. "Shh," he placed a finger against his lips and carefully, slowly, shifted on the bed to lay her down. She hummed quietly, but he slipped Ian out of her arms before he could squawk in disapproval at the change and lifted the baby against his shoulder. Andy pulled the blanket over her and stood. He carried Ian with him out of the room, snagging a fresh diaper as he went.

He went to the kitchen first and started a pot of coffee, managing even with bleary eyes to complete the task with Ian tucked into the crook of his arm. Perhaps, he thought, there was something to be said for having a baby at their age, they pretty much had the mechanics mastered. While the coffee was brewing, he dealt with the wet diaper situation. Then he poured himself a cup and walked over to kick back on the sofa. He smirked as his feet hit the coffee table. "Mom will have my ass when she catches me," he muttered. "But she's not up yet." He cued on the news and sank into the soft cushions, the baby still tucked into the crook of his arm. He sighed when the pain in his back eased. Ian cooed and he nodded. "That's right pal. Rule number one, what mom doesn't know, doesn't get us in trouble…" He glanced toward the hall as he said it, just in case. Andy lifted his coffee with his other hand and watched as the morning news shows covered the conclusion of their case. "Hey, check it out, there's dad." He shook his head and sighed, a little bitter about how it had all turned out. Yeah, they got the bastard, just not soon enough for Andy's liking.

"You know, they say the camera adds ten pounds," He nodded to the recap of the press conference that Taylor had recorded the previous night. "I think it also adds ten years," He added drily. On the bar, a phone began to buzz. Andy glanced over. It was his. He huffed a sigh. "I'm not answering it," he said. "They can kiss my a—"

"You know how she feels about language in front of the baby." Rusty was silent on sock covered feet as he made his way down the hall, shoes in hand, the strap of his book bag over his shoulder. "Coffee?" He smelled it before he reached the living room. He dropped his shoes and bag on the chair closest the door and walked toward the kitchen, as he passed the bar, he glanced at the phone. "Sergeant Elliot?" The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Andy groaned. "FID vultures are already circling. I talked to that little prick last night. Let it go to voicemail, I can call him back. He's got my statement. I swear, they're like parasites, always trying to suck the—" He trailed off at the amused look he was getting from Rusty. "What?"

"Really?" The kid just smirked at him. "That where you want to go in _this_ apartment?"

He rolled his eyes. "She knows how I feel about it. She's been redeemed." He lifted Ian up onto his shoulder when he began to squirm. "What do you think? We like mom? Yeah? She can hang out? Okay."

"You are so weird." Rusty filled a travel mug with coffee and walked over to put his shoes on.

Andy held the baby in front of him. "Two against one, I think we could take him." Ian gurgled and cooed at the attention. "That's right, he's one to talk."

"You people have got to get some sleep and soon." After he had his shoes on, Rusty found his keys and pulled his bag over his shoulder again. He took his coffee and headed for the door. "Remind Sharon today is my late day, I've got Chem lab at five. She's still got the whole, weird, pregnancy brain thing going on. Have her text me if she wants me to stop and grab dinner on the way home. Later. You're in charge Little Flynn."

They watched him go. Andy looked at the baby he held and arched a brow. "You're in charge? Really? I get no say in this at all, do I?" He shook his head when Ian waved his fists and kicked his legs. "I didn't think so."

When Sharon awoke a short while later, it was to the aromas of coffee and breakfast wafting in through the open bedroom door. She stretched on the bed before rising. She could hear the muted sounds of the television playing, and knew that Ian would be with Andy. He always took him out of the room upon waking, letting her sleep just a little longer. She adored him for that. Sharon took her time, changing into comfortable yoga pants and a fresh t-shirt before running a brush through her hair. She clipped it back, but it fell in messy, curling tendrils around her face. She decided she didn't care and made her way down the hall anyway.

In the kitchen she found husband scrambling eggs, but she noticed that there was also fruit and waffles. "Someone is hungry." She turned Ian's chair toward her and leaned over it, a smile on her lips for her bright and happy boy. The chair played music along with vibrating, and he seemed to like that. "Hello my love." Sharon leaned down, a soft kiss pressed to his forehead in greeting. He squawked, and cooed, as if in recognition and kicked his legs. It caused the chair to bounce and she chuckled when it set him to gurgling happily. She stroked the curve of his cheek before she turned to greet her husband. She leaned close and rocked up onto her toes to offer her lips. "Morning."

"Morning." He curled an arm around her waist and drew her close. Andy dropped a lingering kiss to her lips. She fit just beneath his arm when she dropped back to her feet and her head tucked right up beneath his chin. At least, it did when she wasn't in heels. In her bare feet she was rather cute and her form small against him. He held her for just another moment, until she slipped away from him to return to Ian. Andy watched her with him, and the way her eyes lit with joy and crinkled at the corners when she bent again. This time she drew his tiny feet to her lips. It was a beautiful sight, more so than almost anything.

"Has he been fed?" She asked, a smile still on her lips and her dancing gaze only for the baby.

"Nah," Andy glanced at the clock on the microwave. "He's probably going to want to be soon. We're just hanging out. Right pal?" He reached over and wriggled a fist.

"Hm." Sharon hummed as she unbuckled him from the seat. She lifted him to her shoulder, a hand cupped behind his head and pressed her lips against his temple. "Then while you're finishing up here, I'll take care of his bath and feed him. Then I bet he'll probably want a nap."

Andy chuckled. "Bath time huh? How is that going now?" He hadn't been there for that since going back to work. It was a toss up of whether or not Ian actually seemed to like it."

"Always a new adventure," she drawled.

"That's my boy." He smirked. "Give her hell son," Andy called as she walked away with him. The look she shot at him only made him laugh. He looked over when his phone started buzzing again. This would be the third time. "That Elliot kid of yours is a real annoying piece of work," he called down the hall.

"Good!" She smirked. "That means he's doing his job the way I trained him. Besides, I thought you said I was rescued, that makes him not mine anymore since I belong to you all now."

"You trained him," Andy groused. "He's still yours." He reached over and decided to answer it this time, what better way to get rid of the little pain in his ass. "Sergeant Elliot," he began, "What part of I'm going home to hug my kid, kiss my wife, and fall into a coma did you not understand? You better have a hell of a good reason for ringing my phone off the hook before nine in the morning, considering that my wife, your mentor, doesn't sleep a lot these days."

"Yes sir," He stated automatically. Although he was rolling his eyes, Elliot continued, respectfully, "I understand that sir, and I'm very sorry Lieutenant. I'm afraid I have a few followup questions. The statement I have from you doesn't quite match the statement that my partner received from Detective Sykes."

Andy looked skyward and asked for patience. "Why does that not surprise me," he sighed. "Can we do this over the phone or do I have to come back down there?"

"This is fine," Elliot stated. "I understand that your squad is on stand down for a couple of days, unless you catch a new case." That was procedure given the grizzly and dark nature of their last case, and how it ended. "Now, from your statement," he flipped through his notes and held the phone between his shoulder and his ear, "there was a match on the prints lifted from the third crime scene. It indicated the suspect had been in the system before. Your team rolled out to question the guy. He had two possible locations, an apartment down in Inglewood, and his girlfriend's place out in Venice Beach, is that right?"

"That's right." Andy lifted the skillet off the stove and spooned the eggs into a bowl. He carried it all over to the table. "Provenza, Sanchez and I headed down to Inglewood. Sykes and Tao drove out to Venice Beach. Each team had SIS and patrol backing them up. The plan was to figure out which residence he was at, then sit on it and wait for the rest of the team to converge."

"Right, good, that's what I have too." Elliot had both sets of notes from both interviews. So far, his account matched that of Detective Sykes. Hers was the only accounting which had seemed odd, in that it didn't quite match what the rest of the squad had said. "Okay, so you found out that he was down at the Inglewood location and you called the rest of your team?"

"Yeah," Andy set the table and then poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. "Provenza told Tao to get a move on. In the meantime, we notified central, and we got our units in place. We hung back, down the block, we didn't want to alert him that we were there but we had a pretty good view of the place."

"Then what happened?" Elliot asked. This was where the two accountings began to diverge.

"We were talking strategy," Andy said. "Tao and Sykes had just pulled up, we were going to wait for them to join us, but we heard a scream."

"Where was Detective Sykes?" He prompted.

"In the car." Andy tilted his head and thought about it. "Tao got out and walked over to us, Sykes was in the car. She was on her phone… instructing the SIS team with them to circle around and come up the alley behind the house. We wanted to cut off any chance we had that he could run. I was getting ready to update Lieutenant Tao and we heard a scream. It came from the shed behind the house, we didn't wait, we ran." He ran a hand over his hair. Reliving the moment was just something that was going to happen until the matter was settled and all the reports were completed and submitted. "Sanchez and I were at the head of the group. We hit the shed and moved inside. Our suspect had another victim…" He trailed off and closed his eyes. He could still see her, suspended from the rafters. Suddenly, he was no longer hungry. Bile rose hot and bitter in his throat. Andy took a moment to force it back. "He'd already cut her, she was bleeding out. We identified ourselves, ordered him to drop his weapon. He lunged at us instead, and Sanchez shot him."

"So then Detective Sykes was at the back of the action?" That would explain why her accounting was different. She would have, naturally, been delayed in joining them. The inconsistency was easily explained in that way.

"Yeah," Andy sighed. "I guess she probably wouldn't have seen a lot. It just happens sometimes."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Elliot made note of it. "That was all I needed. I'll try not to bother you again. Please give my regards to the Captain."

"Yeah, sure," Andy rolled his eyes at the slightly wistful tone the kid's voice took on. "I'll tell her." He hung up his phone and tossed it back onto the bar. "Little pain in the ass," he muttered. Andy sighed again as he made his way down the hall. He slipped quietly into the bedroom and peeked into the bathroom. He could hear Ian squawking and fussing as he got his bath. "Hey babe," He stepped in and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I'm going to run out for a few. Breakfast is on the table."

Sharon was kneeling beside the tub, Ian was laying in the mesh bath seat. She sat back, but kept a hand on his belly as she looked up at him. "Okay." Her head tilted inquisitively. "Is everything—"

"It's fine." He cupped her face and dropped a kiss to her mouth. "Your little protégé is all taken care of. I just need to hit a meeting."

She hummed quietly and cupped the side of his neck for a moment. "Alright," she let her hand drop and smiled up at him. He would be okay. Of that she never had to worry. He never neglected his sobriety. "Go on, we'll be here."

"Yeah, I know." Andy kissed her again before drawing away. "Love you," he called, and slipped out to the bedroom to get dressed.

Her lips curved into a soft smile and her gaze dropped to the squirming infant in the tub. "Did you hear that? Was that daddy?" She smoothed her hand over the soft down of dark hair covering his head. "We love him right back, don't we?" Her attention shifted back to her child, but she heard her husband when he left. Andy would be okay, he just needed time to process it all. It had been a rough few days. Part of her still felt guilty that they'd had to face it without her, but as Ian played, that guilt faded. She knew all too well just how precious these first weeks together would be for them, and she would enjoy it. Absurd though it might be, maternity leave at this stage in her life, it was her time and she was going to take it. Already she despaired at the time that would come when she would be dropping Ian in daycare rather than having him with her. It seemed that Andy wasn't the only one who had things to process. At least they had each other.

Sharon reflected on just how different it could be, doing this alone. That was another thing that she was entirely too familiar with. Jack had been there, more or less, when Ricky was a newborn. By the time Charlotte was born they were already having issues, and he'd hardly been around. She knew better than to compare the two men, or to compare her life now to her first marriage. The times were so different, and she was different then. The mind went where it wanted to go, however, and there was no stopping her thoughts. It was the difference between having a husband and having a _partner_. It was also the difference in age and experience. She knew the Andy of thirty years ago was much like Jack had been then too. It was why it really wasn't fair to compare them. Andy changed, he learned from his mistakes, he was beside her in this every step of the way.

She lifted the baby out of the tub and wrapped him in a soft towel. "You are so loved," she murmured. "Let's get you fed and down for a nap so that you can spend your day with daddy, hm?" Yes, these days were special, fleeting. She would enjoy her leave, in so much as she could, but it wasn't only herself that needed this precious time. She would facilitate as much of it for Andy as she could. He deserved his chance to be the good father that he worked so hard to become.


	4. Chapter 4

Everything He Is - Chapter 4

by Kadi

Rated: T

* * *

Moving day. It seemed so abstract. They began to think that it would never arrive, and yet it came at long last. It came to them a week later than they originally planned, due to a scheduling issue with the moving company, but at long last it did finally happen. It dawned bright and early on a sunny Saturday morning. With Rusty's help, Sharon had the apartment packed and ready, with Andy pitching in during the evenings when he was home.

Systematically, room by room, the condo was emptied and the moving truck filled up. Rusty and Andy had taken over everything for the nursery the weekend before, and spent a day putting the crib together and installing the furniture. It was a good day, and despite the frustration that came with putting together furniture, Andy enjoyed it. Rusty had too, which had surprised the boy, but then he was getting more accustomed to having Flynn around every day.

It took a few days to get settled into the new house, and unpacking would be a process. Slowly, they found a new routine and schedule, and life began to settle into something which approached normal.

Ian was growing by leaps and bounds, and suddenly they were talking about a return to work date for Sharon, rather than some abstract idea as they coped with spending their days largely apart. With Sharon's next checkup it became more of a moment on the horizon. The standard for a cesarean was eight weeks leave time, but with her age and the complication experienced during the procedure, her doctor wanted her out for a full twelve weeks. In full Sharon splendor, she negotiated it down to ten. She would be back at work with her team as the new year began, and already they had Ian a place in the daycare located on the building's fifth floor. Rank had its privileges. It was just under a month away.

Andy was thinking about that as he sat at his desk. It was another late night. They'd wrapped up their latest case, and it was just a matter of getting the reports finished. The team was heading out as they turned theirs in. Already Sykes, ever the eager to please, was gone. Tao had left just moments before, and since Buzz had his video footage catalogued he'd gone home hours before. Only three of them remained. Provenza had his own report to finish, and then he had to read through and sign off on those the team turned in. Time sheets were due again, and he was grumbling about all of that. Andy was adept at tuning him out, as was Sanchez who sat typing away at his own computer.

Andy's phone chirped twice and he lifted it. He swept his thumb across the display and noticed the text from Sharon.

_Dinner ready, home soon? _

He glanced at the half finished report in front of him and sighed. _Another hour or two. Almost done. Need me to stop on the way?_

The response was a couple of minutes in coming. Andy wasn't surprised, she was always so deliberate. The response itself, however, made little sense to him. He turned his phone sideways and frowned. She had sent a photo. It was a picture of a traffic light, the top of which was lit green. Andy dropped his phone and shook his head. He turned his attention back to his report. Either Rusty was jacking with her phone again, or she was in an odd mood. There was silence in the room, broken by the occasional grumbling from Provenza and the sounds of all of them typing. When his phone chirped again, it seemed a bit loud. Andy sighed and reached for it. He tipped the phone up and squinted at it. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

_Guess the honeymoon is over if that gets me nothing?_

"What the hell?" Andy scrolled back through their texts and shook his head. He put the phone down again. The woman was definitely in a weird mood. He wondered if maybe the sleep depravation was finally getting to her. He went back to work on his report, figuring the sooner he got done, the better. That could be, he decided, her way of indicating she needed a break. He knew that Rusty had chem lab and then a study group, and would be home much later than usual. That meant Sharon was at home with the baby alone. Not an issue, typically, but she was acting oddly.

"Problem sir?" Sanchez was frowning at him from his desk.

"Nah," Andy shook his head. "Wife wants to know when I'll be home." He smirked a little at the way his partner wrinkled his nose.

"That's the way it starts," Provenza muttered. "One day it's all ooh, I miss you. Next thing you know, nag, nag, nag." He shook a finger at him. "Mark my words. The nagging has begun."

Andy rolled his eyes at him. "My wife doesn't nag." He grinned crookedly. "She insists, politely. When that doesn't work, she gets her gun."

Sanchez laughed. He pulled open the top drawer of his desk and reached into it. From inside, he took out a familiar, round object. He wiggled the beanbag at them and wagged his brows. "She can nag all she wants, sir."

The lieutenant snorted a laugh. "I'd almost forgotten about that." Andy leaned back in his seat with a wide grin. "In stilettos no less. Damn, I miss those shoes."

"You're sick." Provenza shook his head. "Get back to work. You don't get overtime for daydreaming about the Captain," He shot looks at both of them.

Andy chuckled. His phone chirped again and he reached for it. "Rusty's not home tonight. I'm betting the baby is asleep and she's just bored." He swept his thumb across the screen and his brows shot up. Sharon had taken a picture of their bed. There was something red and silky laid out on it. "Hell," he wheezed. Now he realized what she was trying to tell him, and it occurred that maybe the sleep and sex deprivation had gotten to _him_. Andy tucked the phone into his pocket and leaned forward over his computer. He quickly began working up the rest of his report. He sent it to the printer and stood up. "Report's done, get it yourself." He jerked his jacket off the back of his chair and palmed his car keys.

He was out of the room before Provenza could even protest. He shot a look at Sanchez. "What the hell?"

The Detective shrugged. "Don't ask me, sir."

"I'm telling you, this is how it starts," he shook his head. "Nagging."

Sanchez shrugged. He lowered his gaze to his computer, and a smirk slowly tugged at his lips. "Lieutenant, how old is Ian now?"

"Do I look like the Flynns' keeper?" Provenza shrugged. "I don't know, about seven weeks, I guess. Why?"

The younger man arched a brow at him. He tilted his head and continued to smirk. "Seven weeks… I don't think she was nagging sir."

"Son of a…" Provenza rubbed a hand over his face. The Detective was looking entirely too cheerful. "Do not say it, Julio. Just let it go. Forget all about it. That's what I'm going to try to do."

He pressed his lips tightly together, but just couldn't stop himself. "She was sexting, sir."

Provenza groaned loudly. "I could have gone my entire life, Sanchez. My _entire_ life." He shook his head. "Finish that up and get out of here."

"Yes sir," he continued to chuckle.

"Horny old people," Provenza muttered to himself.

Andy replied while he was in the elevator. _Home in twenty_. It actually took him twenty-five minutes to reach his car and make the drive across town to the neighborhood they'd moved in to. He parked his car and jogged up the walk. The first floor of the house was lit by soft lamps, but was empty. Andy dropped his keys on the table beside the door and locked it behind him. His jacket hit the back of a chair as he crossed the living room.

He met her coming down the stairs. Andy drew a breath as he gazed up at her. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. The red silk that she had teased him with hugged her frame, enhancing new curves and revealing her slender, post-baby form. She had dropped much of the weight, and what remained only made her more beautiful in his opinion. He knew that with her last doctor visit she had started a light exercise regimen, but she still bemoaned the fact that she would probably never be a size five again. Andy didn't care, he'd never seen anything lovelier. He had faith in her determination. If Sharon set her mind to it, she would make it happen. Now, however, it was the farthest thing from his mind. He moved slowly up the last few steps separating them. He braced himself against the banister with one hand, the other he laid against her hip and slid it slowly up her side, and then around to her back. He drew her against him and lowered his head. Their lips hovered, scant centimeters apart, while he stared into her eyes.

He missed her. Missed _them_, but he hadn't wanted to push her. He knew that she hardly felt sexy or desirable when she spent most of her day caring for a newborn. He told himself that he was content enough to wait, age tempered desire, but now he ached to feel her against him. Their breaths mingled while they stood there. These were not the languid, comforting touches they had exchanged these past weeks. When he did finally close the gap between them, he felt the tremor that ran through her. A low groan rumbled in his own throat and he drew her more firmly against him. Her arms curled around his neck and Andy half lifted her as he moved them up the steps to the second floor.

He pressed her into the wall on the opposite side of the stairs while their mouths met and plundered. Andy slid a hand into her hair and tipped her head back, while his lips angled for better possession. At her whimper, he pressed his other hand against the wall and braced himself. He tried to slow his desire, even as she began tugging his shirt out of his pants and working at the buttons. When her hands touched his bare skin, he groaned loudly. At her nails lightly scouring up his sides, he shuddered. His teeth nipped at her lips, and he turned his head, sliding them along her jaw to her neck.

When his teeth scraped over her collarbone, she tipped her head back and angled her body against him. She reached for his belt, but his hands covered hers. Their eyes met, his burned, almost black with desire. He took her hands and drew them away from him. He pulled them over her head and pressed them into the wall. Sharon drew a slow, trembling breath when he inhaled deeply, and his jaw clenched. They continued to stare at one another, hearts beating rapidly, the only sound in the hall was their mingled, ragged breathing. Her heart fluttered, swelled with emotion when he lowered his head again, lips far more gentle. Their mouths brushed, barely touching, while his tongue traced the upward curve of her lips. Their fingers twined together and with their gazes still locked, he slowly captured her mouth again.

The soft sound she made burned right through him, but Andy held himself in check. He let go of her hands to cup her head, fingers tangling in the heavy weight of her hair. They were moving much too fast, and as badly as he wanted her, he wouldn't risk hurting her. Instead, his hands slid slowly down her body. Andy stepped back from the wall, he drew her with him, and then he bent and scooped her into his arms. The laugh that bubbled out of her was like music, lilting and joyful. He grinned as he kissed her again and turned them toward their bedroom. He made sure the door was closed firmly behind him.

Much later found them seated in the center of their bed. Andy held his wife, an arm draped over her shoulder, fingers toying with her mussed hair. She was wrapped around him, skin still flushed and glistening, eyes heavy and lips swollen. She was quite simply the most exquisite thing he'd ever seen. He leaned forward, nose nuzzling her cheek. "Hi stranger," he rumbled quietly.

"Hi," she whispered back. Her nail traced the curve of his jaw. His fingers danced across her skin as they moved down her bare back. She arched into the touch and sighed quietly. They had needed this. More than she realized until he actually _touched _her again. Her body still tingled, ached in ways it hadn't in far too long. He was solid against her, his hands gentle. "Missed you," she murmured.

He turned them, lay her back against the tangle of sheets and the single, lone pillow which managed to survive the evening without being lost somewhere in a sea of blankets and discarded clothing. Andy lay beside her, head pillowed in his hand and continued to gently trace the curves of her face. "Me too," he answered.

Sharon curled a hand around his wrist and lifted his hand. She turned her face into it, lips against his palm. "I love you."

Andy lowered his head. His lips brushed over the bridge of her nose, her eye lids. He kissed the tip of her chin, and finally, drew her bottom lip between his. "Love you."

Reality returned when the monitor lit up. Ian began to fuss, at first mewling plaintively, and then moving toward full fledged cries. Sharon's brow arched. She laughed at his timing. It was fairly decent. Of course, she had kept him up most of the afternoon in the hopes that he would sleep more during the evening. "I don't think he quite comprehended the full scope of the after nine rule," she drawled playfully.

"I might need to discuss it with him again," Andy chuckled. He bent, kissing her once more, and then rolled onto his back. "I'll get him." He rolled out of the bed with a groan, back and knees protesting, but it had been so worth it. Andy had to sort through the mess to find his boxers, which he drew on. He tossed his shirt onto the bed, for her.

Sharon considered it. She stretched, rather languidly before she sat up and pulled it around her body. Then she slid off the bed and started picking up the bed clothes. She tossed them across the bed in some semblance of order, along with the pillows and laughed when she heard her husband talking to their son through the baby monitor.

"We had an agreement," Andy said. "Six am to nine pm, you get mom all to yourself. After nine, her goodies are mine. Work with me, son. Dad's got needs too. Mom is number one on the list."

Sharon shook her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and was still smiling when he returned, a freshly diapered Ian in his arms. The baby was still fussing. She held out her arms for him. Sharon pulled her hair over her shoulder and scooted back against the headboard. "Nice try, but I think he gets his stubborn streak from you," she teased. She opened the shirt and allowed the rooting baby to latch on, his cries immediately silenced.

"Quite possibly." Andy sprawled out on his side next to her. He kissed her bent knee, then raised up and kissed her cheek before dropping his head into his hand. "He's a Flynn. You were expecting something different?"

"No," she laughed. "Not at all. Although considering he's also mine, we could be in a lot of trouble here." Her eyes were dancing. Already their son was displaying a proclivity for being both stubborn _and_ demanding.

"Hmm." His lips pursed. "What were we thinking?"

"Oh honey," she smirked at him. "I think it's more a matter of what we were thinking with."

Andy snorted. "You can be so bad." He moved closer and nuzzled the top of his son's head. "Watch out for girls like her," he mumbled playfully.

Her brows lifted. "Girls like me," she asked, a bit pointedly.

"Mmhm." Andy smirked at her. "Stubborn. Demanding. Bossy. Beautiful. Sexy. Irresistible."

"Nice save," she decided.

"Yeah, I know." He rolled onto his back and curled an arm behind his head. "Don't worry, I'll teach him everything I know."

Sharon giggled. "Oh, that I look forward to seeing."

"Yeah?" He tilted his head at her.

"Yes." Her smile softened. "Andy, you're a good father. I think we're going to do just fine."

He thought about it for a moment, and realized that he believed her. At some point, he stopped worrying about all the ways that he could screw this up, and just started _enjoying _it. Maybe their time was limited with him, more so than if they were much younger. It didn't matter. They couldn't worry about what might be around the corner, they needed to concentrate on the now. There were plenty of people around them that would be able to step in. Her kids would be there for Christmas, and Nicole and her husband were only a phone call away. There was Rusty, and god knew that kid adored his little brother. Then there was the team. They had Sanchez, Buzz, and Tao, and of course Provenza. He couldn't forget his partner. Grumble though he might, and often at that, his partner was crazy about this kid. Any one of them would be there for Ian if the need ever arose. Rusty wasn't one for sports, but maybe he'd show him how to toss around a ball. Then, when it came time, he'd have a little help with teaching Ian to do the same.

"Yeah," Andy finally said. "We'll be alright." He sat up and tugged her toward him. His arms moved around her and he settled his chin against her shoulder. He cupped his boy's tiny head in his large hand and settled his other arm loosely around her waist. Downstairs, he heard a door close and realized that Rusty home. Part of him that he hadn't realized was concerned, relaxed. Everyone was in for the night. Safe, secure. When he put Ian back in his crib later he'd do a circuit, check the locks. He'd check on their older son, and then he'd return to his wife. This was his future, and damned if it didn't seem perfect.

~_FIN_


End file.
